Drip tube dispensing unit



June 27, 1944.

J. E. B. SHAW DRIP TUBE DISPENSING UNIT Filed Jan. 22, 1944 Patented June 27, 1944 UNITED I STATES PAT ENT ;OFFICE DRIP TUBE DISPENSING IIYJNIT I John E.,B. Shaw,: C l licagm'jlll. v Application January 22, 1944, Serial 519,377

.2 Claims. (01. 123- 21 container containing liquid, said unit having means for providing air for the bottle to displace the liquid therein and permit the liquid to flow therefrom. I It is also among the objects of my invention that my unit shall be so constructed that the air will pass through liquid in a wash chamber before it passesinto the container. Another object is to so construct my unit that it also functions as a visible drip tube. Thus I have a combination unit adapted'to' provide washed air to dispense liquid from a sealed container and also to visibly show the flow through a drip tube. I

Heretofore users of a dispensing cap could determine the flow of liquid by watching the bill)- bles appearing on the top surface of the liquid in the container. This was diflicult and also uncertain. Tests have been made showing that when the bottle was one-third emptied that the bubbles became irregular and therefore this method of gauging the flow was unsatisfactory.

Anotherway to determine the flow of the liquid was to obtain and place a Murphy drip orthe like in the line of the parenteral administration tubing. This involved a separate member and the problems of assembling and cleaning of the parts. During cases of emergency delay caused by this cleaning and assembling of separate parts is serious, and its avoidance is desired. With my unit having a drip tube portion this need of assembling and the consequent delay; is avoided.

My invention also contemplates such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by my invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawing a preferred form of my invention, yet I wish it understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevational view of my device in use; Fig. 2 is a top plan View of my drip tube dispensing unit; Fig. 3 is a side elevational View; Fig. 4 is an elevational sectional view on line L4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an elevational sectional view with the parts separated; Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional view Online 6-6 of-Fig. 3 and Fig.. 7 is a detailed view on line 1:1 of;Fig..5

The embodiment selected-to illustrate my invention comprises an upper. portion I B-made of rubber or any othersuitable material, adapted to. be-attached toabottle or other suitable container ll containing sterile liquid to be 1 dispensed for parenteral injection. The upper portion Ill has atop l2, depending rounded side walls l3 and an open bottom l4. Anair inlet opening l5 extends throughtop l2 into the hollow interior [6. Extending downwardlyfrom top I2 withininterior I6 isa housing I! having asubstantially straight depending-side wall l8 extending across said interior l6, and meeting a depending roundedside wall l9 spaced from sidewalls I3. A liquid inlet opening 20 extends through top l2 into the .hollow interior 2! of housing H. A tip 22 extends below the bottom 23. of housing 11 and has a liquid outlet opening 24-.therethrough communicating with the interior2| of housing. I

A lower portion 25 isconstructed of transparentmaterial, preferably plastic or glass, and has an air wash chamber 26 havinga closed bottom 21, an open top .28, an outer rounded. side wall .29 having an air inlet hole 30 therethrough leading from the interior 3| of air wash chamber 26 to the atmosphere or other. air or gas supply. Spaced from said air wash chamber 26 is an abbreviated overflow member 32 having side walls 33,,a c1osed b0ttom .34..and an open top 35 extending above hole 30. aAdJ'oining said-air wash chamber 26 but separated therefrom by a common wall 35 is-liquid flow drip tube chamber 3! having a rounded side wall 38, an open top and a closed bottom- 39, havinga tip extending therebelow with an opening 4| therethrough.

Upper portion I0. is adapted to be removably attached tolower portion .25. The diameter of the bottoms of-rounded sidewalls I3 of upper portion I0 is larger than the diameter of roundedsidewalls 29. and 38 pi lower portion 25 so that upper portion I!) may be moved down over the top of. lower portion 25. In this position rounded side wall [9 and straight side wall is of housing I! fit snug against the inner surfaces of rounded side wall 38 and wall 36 of liquid flow chamber 31 to form a seal therewith. Upper portion I9 is formed with a slight inward taper so that the upper ends of walls 38 and 29 of lower portion 25 contact the inner surfaces of side walls l3 of upper portion H]. In this position tip 22 extends down within the hollow interior of liquid flow chamber 31 and is visible.

.inlet opening l5 into the container ll.

2| of housing [1, and thence through liquid out- I let opening 24 in tip 22 to liquid flow chamber 31. As the liquid drips from opening 24 in tip 22 into liquid flow chamber 31, its dropping or rate of flow is visible. The liquid passes downwardly from liquid'flow chamber 31 into tip'40 and out opening 4| therethrough into tubing 44 attached to tip 40, thence through needle 45 attached to the lower end of tubing 44 intothe patient. A clamp 45 is attached -to-tubing Afforregulation of the flow ofgthe liquidfi Liquid also'passes downwardlythrough air inlet hole 39 into wash chamber 26, so that air coming into washchamber 26 passes through said liquid in wash chamber before it passes through opening 30 intothe container l l. Overflow chamber 32 normally takes care of any liquid over-flowing from wash chamber 25.

Thus in-combination my construction provides washed air for the container, dispenses the liquid in the container, and provides a visible drip tube for calculating the rate of flow of the liquid for the parenteral injection.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1-. In combination with a container 'having sterile. injection solution therein, an air' filter drip tube dispensingdevice; comprising an upper portion adapted to be attached to said container, said upper portion having a closed top, side walls, an open bottom and a hollowinterior, said upper portion having an. air inlet opening extending through said closed top into the hollow interior and also communicating with the interior of said container; said upper portion having an integral housing extending downwardly from said top within said hollow interior, a drip extension integral with and. extending below said housing and said side walls and having an opening therethrough communicating with the-interior of said housing, said closed top'also having a liquid outlet opening communicating with' the interior of said container and leading into the interior of said housing. and a transparent lower portion I teral injection means, said upper portion adapted to be attached to said lower portion, with the housing and drip extension of said upper portion positioned within said combined liquid flow and drip tube chamber of said lower portion, and said air wash chamber of said lower portion in communication with said hollow interior and said air inlet opening of said upper portion, so that air may flow from the atmosphere through said air inlet opening of said-air wash chamber into said air wash chamber, through said hollow interior and. said air inlet opening of said upper portion into said container to permit liquid to flow from said container down through said liquid outlet opening in said upper. portion into said housing, and out said housing through the open ing in the extension of said housing directly and visibly into said combined liquid flow and drip tube chamber and thence out through the tip of said liquid flow chamber into the parenteral injection means, for a parenteral injection, said drip extension of said housing of'said upper member extending downwardly and visibly within said transparent combined liquid flow and drip tube chamber so that the flow of liquid therefrom is visible for gaugingthe flow thereof.

2. In combination with a container having sterile injection solution therein, a drip tube dispensing device comprising an upper portion adapted to be attached to said container, said upper portion having an air inlet opening therethrough communicating with the interior of said container, said upper portion also having a liquid flow means communicating with the interior of said container and having a hollow tip extending below the bottom of said upper portion, and a lower portion having an air supply portion and a transparent combined liquid flow and drip tube chamber, said chamber having an apertured tip adapted to receive parenteral injection means, said upper portion adapted to be attached to said lower portion with said air supply portion of said lower portion in communication with said air inlet opening of said upper portion, and said liquid flow means of said upper portion in communication with said combined liquid flow and drip tube chamber of said lower. portion, so that air may flow from said air supply portion of said lower portion through said air inlet opening of said upper portion into said container to permit liquid to flow from said container down through said liquid'fiow means in said upper portion directly into said combined liquid flow and drip tube chamber of said lower portion and thence out through said apertured tip into said parenteral injection means for a parenteral injection, said hollow tip of saidliquid flow means of said upper portion extending downwardly within said transparent combined liquid flow and drip tube and beingvisible therein so that the flow of liquid therefrom is visible and gaugeable.

JOHN E. B. SHAW. 

